A Breath of a Life
by SeattleGirl359
Summary: A collection of prompts for the 12 Days of Bethyl.
1. Chapter 1

_**This where I am going to collect all my 12 days of Bethyl oneshots. And if you haven't heard of this, it's on tumblr. I absolutely loved the choices of the prompts so I wrote some of my own because I never was able to join in on the fun of the official bethyl week a while back. I highly encourage everyone to join in for the 12 days of bethyl! Some of these oneshots will be nice…others will be a bit naughty (if you know what I mean, wink, wink).**_

_**I hope you enjoy reading as much as I did writing these. Again, they will all be oneshots and not related to each other so every chapter will be a different prompt.**_

_**Prompt: **__**GIFT.**_

When he dropped to his knees a couple feet from her grave, the weight of the world settled down onto him in the worst way. He didn't want to leave the place he was at right now, didn't want to obey what Rick said when he announced they were moving on, much to Maggie's dismay. Daryl remembered the grim and tortured sight of Maggie holding Beth's lifeless body, clinging onto her for dear life the same way she had been for at least twenty four hours straight, right on the floor of the woods, not moving. Her faced had been twisted up with pain ever since Daryl brought Beth out of the hospital. Daryl had seen how Maggie was consumed by sadness and leaned to rest her temples on Beth's chest to cry as the grave had been dug. Daryl saw everything (partially because he was too weak and could not keep his eyes from wandering back over to the dead blonde girl who he had come to fall in love with).

Maggie didn't want to leave either, but for the reason that she could not bring herself up from the ground where she sat and cried and also held a knife at her side a little bit too tightly until Glenn also took that away from her, out of fear she would harm herself. Apparently there had been an incident when Daryl was off in the woods where Maggie had held a gun to her chest until she was talked out of it by Glenn and Rick.

She was suicidal now, that was clear, repeating how she wanted to be buried with Beth over and over again, tears streaming down her face, eyes red and puffy, chest heaving. Maggie would not survive this loss, that was what Daryl painstakingly concluded. It only made him sadder, but he understood completely the desire to be with Beth in a final resting place. He would be a liar if he said he had not thought a quick bullet to his head might ease the pain.

It was a tempting thought.

Very tempting…

One second and it would be all over, everything.

But he didn't do it, even though he was weak now. Beth's death took the strength from him and left him a complete mess, but he knew that Beth would not want Daryl to end his life. So he didn't do it.

Daryl was hurting.

He was in deep pain.

He was _devastated._

In fact, the world around him made no sense anymore. It did not exactly make sense before but it really didn't after the burial.

In utter ruin, his heart was in shreds. He almost did not even care what happened next. Not one ounce of him cared if they continued to D.C or if they stayed in Georgia, if he was attacked by a walker or if he lived. However, leaving would only make it worse. That meant he would be even farther from her. And that thought makes him sick to the stomach, so much so that he threw up right there off to the side, a mixture of bile, blood and water coming up. The blood was there because that was the fourth time he had thrown up on an empty stomach in the past twenty four hours. Losing Beth did that too him—made him emotionally _and _physically sick.

His chance at happiness died too, died with Beth. The glimmer for hope for them vanished.

Yet there he was again, back at the grave. Daryl was forcing himself to let the guilt in, guilt for not checking the door before opening it at the funeral home, guilt for not looking for Beth sooner, guilt for not keeping her safe at the hospital during the exchange, and guilt for not letting her know how he felt about her. He loved that girl and now she was gone.

Gone.

Beth.

And he still loved her, even more than before.

Daryl hung his head towards the cold ground, defeated. He closed his eyes and prayed for the first time in his whole entire life, prayed that Beth was in a safer place now and that whoever was in charge would make sure she was okay, do a better job at it than he did when Beth was alive. Maybe Hershel was with her and she was safe again.

Tears ran down Daryl's face as he got to his feet, still not ready to leave but knew he would be missed soon. They had to leave. Daryl had to leave. There was nowhere else to go but north, according to Rick.

He didn't take one last look at the fresh grave that contained the body of the woman he fell in love with. It would be too much. Seeing it again might cause him to lose it altogether.

One step away from her. Another stab to the heart.

In that moment he realized the pain would never end; it would be there until the day he died. As the tears fell onto his cheeks, Daryl weakly slung the crossbow back over his shoulder after it started to fall off. He remembered teaching Beth how to use the weapon, how good she had gotten with it. She was a natural with the crossbow. He only wished he had more time to teach her.

Too short of a life

Not enough time.

He punched a nearby tree out of rage and several other emotions he could not place a label to.

Daryl's footing dragged as he took more steps away. He would never be back here, he knew that. They had to move on. Physically move on. Daryl would never emotionally move on or recover from this. The loss of Beth would forever be etched into is heart and soul, his very being.

He would never look at the woods the same way either, not when it would remind him of the burial, of the body in the ground they were leaving in Georgia.

A thumping sound made him stop dead in his tracks. It was barely audible, almost not even there, to the point where Daryl thought he was hearing things that were not actually there, a side effect of going through emotional trauma. But, no, the sound persisted. Light and quiet.

It couldn't be.

Daryl twisted his body back to face the grave where the pile of dirt on top was unevenly distributed by an angry and upset Maggie, who had yanked the shovel out of Rick's hands and quite violently buried the wooden coffin as her eyes had welled up with water and her sobs made her lose her breath.

Daryl slowly and cautiously stepped back over towards the grave, setting his eyes on it fully, face unchanged. There was a moment of silence where Daryl's heart had skipped a beat and his breathing had ceased.

Waiting.

The noise came again and he finally recognized that it was some kind of pressure hitting against another object—a fist against wood.

Daryl did not hesitate.

With his bare hands, Daryl frantically dug the dirt away, throwing it in every direction. The smell of the fresh soil invaded his nostrils and that time it did not make him sick like it had when he smelled it as Rick, Abraham, and Glenn had put the small coffin into the ground. His nails filled up with the soil as he dug, and dug, and dug. He probably looked crazy from the outside looking in, but none of that mattered. If he was right, then it would change everything.

Daryl got to the coffin quicker than he had expected, yet not soon enough, in his opinion. The knife at his side was in his hand before he had time to realize he had removed it from the place at his side. He pried open a few of the nails and popped the lid, still frantic, and still with his heart racing, breathing erratic and unstable.

Dirt fell inwards as the top part was removed, but Daryl had no care in the world about that. Beth Greene was staring back at him, eyes open and blue as ever. He looked down in awe, in complete shock that nearly knocked him off balance.

"Daryl."

It was low and in a whisper, but there was a slight smile that had formed on her lips, eyes lazily drifting closed before opening back up again to meet his.

He didn't think, he just acted.

Daryl grabbed her, gently of course, but he did use some force to lean over and pull her up, picking her up into his arms bridal style until she was out of the coffin and safe. Safe with him, as it was meant to be. "Daryl," she said again, this time a bit louder and with more life to her voice. "Ouch."

He stopped walking, having not even realized he was marching through the woods back to base camp, where he would show Maggie she had no reason to be suicidal anymore, and show the rest that Beth had made it. He was right all along. She saved herself, she survived. Beth Greene was a warrior, just liked the rest of them.

"What is it?"

Dumb question. She was shot in the head. What else was going to be hurting?

Beth moved her hand up in the direction of the back of her head, but Daryl immediately said, "No. Don't."

Beth obeyed and did not attempt to touch where a bullet had flew out of her skull. Instead, she rested her head against him as he carried her, sighing.

Daryl felt her heart beating and it almost made him stop walking. Her heart…beating. Thump, _thump_. Thump, _thump_. Thump, _thump_. It was low and a bit slower than normal, but the vibration was there against his own body. He was damn sure to keep waiting for the next beat.

But something does bother him. He could not believe his utter stupidity for how he had not realized before that rigor mortis had never set in, the sheer sign of death. They had buried her when she was still alive. Daryl doubted he would ever forgive himself for that huge mistake. All those long and drawn out hours he had been thinking she was dead were unbearable.

He had punched the ground of the woods repeatedly until his knuckles bled and they burned with pain from the blows against the bark.

He had cried so much that his eyes were puffy and red and sore.

He had felt like his soul was gone from his body, his heart torn into pieces and run over.

He had lost hope, and faith, and everything.

And yet that whole time his world was ending around him, Beth was alive, holding onto life. She was a fighter. She was strong.

A little spark of hope and faith had been restored at the realization that her heart was still beating.

—

They quickly moved Beth into an abandoned house that they found and set up hospital supplies from Grady Memorial because Glenn, Rick, and Michonne had gone back to get survival supplies for Beth, which the doctor handed over without hesitation, as he should have. Beth would be safe there until it was time to move, until it was time for her to rejoin the world.

Maggie and Daryl were practically glued at the hip after that, waiting for Beth to open her eyes again after she was in and out of consciousness. Several times Maggie broke down in the room and Daryl silently comforted her, something he was new to doing. And when Maggie was out of the room momentarily, that was when Daryl allowed himself to break down also.

He was in Beth's presence ninety-nine percent of the time, only leaving when he had to piss. He waited for her, and she finally woke up again from the nightmare. He was the first person that she saw when the blue orbs popped back open and made Daryl reflexively smiled down at her on the bed she was tucked into to safely, her hair clean from any blood.

He knew a bullet to the skull probably did a shitload of damage. Maybe her memory would be screwed with, but that was all okay. As long as she was here and alive, he didn't care the condition she came in, even if she forgot about their time together, the prison, the woods, _the funeral home_.

Her eyes closed again and she drifted back into unconsciousness after that but he knew he felt the light squeeze of her fingers around his hand.

Again, he reminded himself that her heart was beating and she had blood running through her veins. Beth would pull through. She had to, there was no other option on the table.

—

Tick, tock.

Tick, tock.

Tick, tock.

Daryl could practically hear the stopped clock on the wall ticking away, despite the fact that it was frozen on eleven thirty-six. That clock was mocking him, letting him know that time was running low and Beth had not woken back up yet in about a day or so.

Eventually she did though and he cursed himself for being worried she would not. Hours later Beth's eyes opened and she squeezed Daryl's hand to indicate she was awake. "Hi," she slurred slightly, smiling. "Good to see you again."

She looked pale, very pale. But she was still beautiful so it took him a few seconds to think straight. Daryl got to his feet after having been on his knees by the side of the bed, hand still placed around Beth's. "How do you feel? Are you okay? Do you need anythin'?"

He didn't mean to bombard her with so many questions, it had all slipped out at once. All he wanted was to make sure that she was as comfortable as possible now that she was conscious again. "Say whatever you need, I'll get it," he affirmed, ready for her to say something.

Beth inhaled deeply and blinked a few times. "Where's Maggie?"

"Other room. I can get her," he told her, ready to leave and go grab Maggie, though the thought of leaving Beth only for a second made Daryl uneasy.

"No," Beth refused, the grip on his hand tightening. "Not yet. I just want you here."

Daryl stood there and waited for more words to come to mind. There was so much that he wanted to say to her, so much that he had listed off in his head when he had believed she was dead and gone. But know that she was alive and in front of him, Daryl had no words.

"I told you that you would miss me when I was gone, Daryl Dixon," Beth spoke, words perfectly clear, a smirk playing out on her face. "I bet you didn't believe me when I said them."

The shack. The moonshine. The stories about his childhood. The fire. He remembered all that had happened that night. He remembered how he had changed that night, all because of Beth. She had made him want to live that night, and he meant _really_ live, not the half-ass make it another day kind of thing. Beth had made Daryl want to do right by her, make her safe and comfortable, and make her happy.

"Beth," he started to say, but the words hitch in his throat and he couldn't get the rest out. Daryl opened his mouth again to say the three important words she needed to hear, but he got lost in staring at her.

Beth gave him another warm and welcoming smile, squeezing his hand tighter. She moved to the right and pulled on him weakly. "Come here. Keep me company. I'm kinda chilly."

He would not dream of refusing the offer. Daryl carefully got into bed with her and made sure not to disturb her position too much, pulling the covers over her so she was warmer.

Beth, however, was not shy and got closer, gazing at him. "Much better."

"Beth, I—"

"Shhh," Beth urged, snuggling against his chest. It was the best feeling in the world. "I know. And I feel the same way."

She knew. She had probably known all along actually. There was this unspoken understanding between the two of them. They knew what the other was thinking even if no verbal language was spoken.

Amazing. That was what Beth was.

He realized then that her survival was a _gift_. A gift to him from something that was above, maybe a higher power. He didn't know how to explain it very well, but whatever had spared Beth's life...well, Daryl felt eternally grateful for whoever or whatever gave her back to him. He would forever treasure her in every way possible.

_**A/N: Check back for more soon!**_


	2. Peace

_**Prompt: **__**Peace.**_

_**And you know what? I took it a little bit down the smutty road here. Because if you know me…well, let's just say everything bethyl is better with some naughtiness.**_

It was cold out. Fuck that, it was bitter and freezing. Daryl had stepped outside for one damn minute and was already about to feel his lungs collapse from inhaling the stone cold air around him. He grabbed four chunks of firewood and quickly closed the door behind him so it did not let in any chilly winter air. He tried to remind himself that going to Washington D.C. was a good thing. However, the layer of snow on the ground currently was not convincing him that to keep moving north towards the city was the best decision.

Honestly, Daryl didn't hate the snow in itself. It had nothing to really do with the snow directly, it was more that it just made it a hell of a lot harder to get away from walkers when they showed up out of the blue and the group had to make a run for it. As a child Daryl would wish for some snow to come during the winter and a few years there were some dustings of white on the ground by the time a shitty Christmas came around. He almost allowed himself to miss the former life, the one where the world was still halfway normal and it was not a life or death situation every single day.

Still, even then Daryl kind of preferred the life he had now, solely because he had the family that he had always needed but didn't know he wanted. And the girl who changed him more than anything…

Beth alone was the reason he would chose this life compared to the other one over and over again. He may not have ever met her in the previous one and having her in his life was the most important thing to him currently.

It was a quiet evening, one were everyone was dead tired and asleep as soon as their head hit the pillow. Everyone was huddled around in the living room of an old abandoned house, them all in different colored sleeping bags, some light snoring within the room. Daryl quickly made his way over to his own spot close to the wall on the other side after he put another piece of wood on the fire. Daryl was not very tired, but he was definitely not going to pass up the rare opportunity for some rest while they were safe, for the most part.

As soon as Daryl placed his head down onto the pillow, he noticed that Beth was also awake and that her eyes were on him, sleeping bag pulled up to her chin. The fire crackled and a spark lit up in her eyes. Even the color of the flames played out on her face as she continued to keep her eyes locked on him. It was a different kind of look, he could tell that much. There was something different about it, something different about her, and something different about him as well.

Something different about _them_.

Daryl glanced away and started to bite at his dirty and slightly bloody nails, a bad habit he willingly participated in when he was nervous or anxious. Yet right then he was both with a side of unsureness. What a nice combination. Lucky him.

With a deep sigh, Daryl was about to roll over to his other side so his eyes were not tempted to look over at Beth again when he heard the faint rustling of a sleeping bag. His gaze snapped back up to watch Beth cross the floor in her white socks until she came up next to where Daryl was, and without any hesitation, she knelt down and pulled at the sleeping bag, shifting her body inside so she was up against Daryl with one swift movement. He would have been lying if he said he hadn't felt the way she pressed into him as her body slid down his as she moved into position to get comfortable, wiggling around a bit.

There were a lot of unsaid words between them ever since Daryl got her back from the hospital in the exchange. And even though there was so much that Daryl had not been able to say, words like I _need_ you and want you. And love you…but that one most of all he had no clue how to say or how to go about it. He just stupidly kept it to himself even though he did once promise himself he would not do that very thing and he would tell Beth what was on his mind, what he felt in his heart.

And then he didn't. Typical him.

Her words floated back to him, the ones about being afraid that Beth had shoved his way at the moonshine shack as they were both healing from the multiple losses. He _was _afraid then. He was afraid now, he would admit that too. Daryl was afraid about how quickly he had fallen for this one girl, how she had changed everything about him, how he thought and acted. He was an entirely different person now, mostly because of the time Daryl had spent with Beth, when they were alone together for weeks on end.

But the one thing he was not afraid of was how actually felt in that very moment. There was no fear; he was quite calm.

Something that surprised Daryl was how Beth did not have a care in the world about the current situation, the people and eyes around them that could see them at any moment if woken up. Questions would be asked about the two of them, questions Daryl was not sure how to even answer. For a brief second he thought about sending her away, then completely dismissed the horrible and unbearable thought. He did want her here with him, there was no denying that. So instead, Beth stayed close, studying Daryl with a quizzical look as she laid on her side facing Daryl. He met her gaze again after quickly averting his eyes momentarily. Something felt different in that instance, something between them was changing and altering as the seconds passed by.

"Beth," Daryl whispered in a low, yet soft voice so he did not wake anyone.

She put her finger up vertically in front of her mouth to signal that he should not speak. Beth brought both her forearms up with just enough space between them to do so, and slowly took off her right gray glove. Honestly, Daryl did not have the time to process what was going on as it happened, nor did he have any idea what to expect from her as he looked on, trying to figure out what he should do.

She placed a small hand onto his clothed stomach and Daryl swallowed hard, eyes instinctively scanning the room for any type of movement. There was none and Beth must have sensed that too, either that or she didn't care. Beth let her hand drift down until her fingertips brushed his flesh right above his belt. Daryl sucked in his stomach out of reflex to the warmth as she shoved her hand underneath the material of the flannel shirt and stretched out her fingers across the muscles of his abdomen.

It was then that he realized that she had gotten bolder in their separation. She knew what she wanted to do and nothing was going to stop her, not even being in a room full of people who could wake up at any point.

A rough exhale of air was expelled from Daryl when Beth's nails raked over his stomach to where his pants made a line across his hips. All rational thinking stopped there. He was fucking sure of that. Beth was persistent, dipping two fingers below to feel the skin. Daryl forced himself to clench his teeth together and shut his eyes for a second.

What happened next was also unexpected, but then again, the entire encounter was unexpected so he had no way of explaining this to even himself. Beth reached up and began to unbutton her collared button up shirt, fingers expertly undoing all the small navy blue buttons as Daryl watched. He really had no other choice than that. Beth always knew how to captivate his attention. It was like she knew what made him tick, what would surely send him over the edge.

The sleeping bag was to her shoulders so Beth was not shy at all when she casually draped her hands down to the last button and pulled on it so that her shirt split down the middle and Daryl could clearly see the line of porcelain-colored flesh from her neck all the way down past her navel. Beth gently grabbed at one of his hands and pulled it up towards her chest, encouraging him to go further. He felt the movement in his pants as his hand slipped the shirt back more and slid over her breast. His rough palm cupped her soft skin, hand lightly squeezing. At that point he internally said _fuck it_. He wanted this, needed it really. It had been months since he had touched himself, and years since any woman had done it for him. But really, he just wanted it because it was Beth on the giving side of it all, the one who had initiated it.

A quick glance up to his eyes and a reassuring smile later, she undid his belt in a way that it made no noise at all and fell loose around his waist. Beth tugged lightly on his worn pants that had holes in the knees. Before he could do anything, she shifted again and moved closer, her face hovering right next to his. She took the plunge and went for it, their lips making contact for the first time. He wished it could have been under different circumstances, but in that moment his mind blanked and Daryl entered a heaven-like state as Beth's soft lips and the taste of cherry found its way into his mouth.

He sucked in a breath before he moved his mouth against hers, again it being a long time since he had kissed anyone. He noticed that it was the first time it felt like it meant something.

Daryl glanced around the room one last time, along with the door on the opposite side where Rick was up keeping watch, the door to the other room cracked open with the faintest amount of light coming through. Still, everyone was sound asleep on the winter night, the chilly air sending them off into a deep, deep sleep.

Now, Daryl knew he should resist this. He wasn't stupid, though some might argue that. He knew it was not the best location or the most optimal way for them to be closer to each other. But his body was responding more than his brain, so the dominating force took over him and his mind took the backseat.

Beth tugged again on his pants and that time Daryl complied with the silent request. He figured he might as well give it all or nothing, there was none of that in the middle shit in this kind of world. He slipped his thumbs into the sides of his pants and pulled them down, Beth helping him out the rest of the way until the material was down to his knees.

He thought he might feel awkward and self-conscious about being that exposed, but solely because it was Beth there, he did not. His hard dick was pressed firmly against the lower part of Beth's abdomen, and Daryl shuddered when he felt Beth's hand trace along where his hipbone stuck out.

She looked up at him then, eyes curious as they always were. A small smile appeared, one that he had never seen before, and one that he hoped he would see in the future again sometime. It was wicked, yet tamed at the same time. It was like she knew a secret no one else did. Beth was enjoying this, enjoying that she got to explore his body in such a risky environment and give him some form of physical pleasure.

Bold.

It was true, that was what she had become.

And Daryl liked that a lot. She was unreal to him.

She kissed him again, lightly and softly, tongue slipping in a few times to caress his own tongue. His stomach clenched in once again when Daryl felt her hand stroke his dick, palm flattening before she gripped him and Daryl began to kiss her harder because it felt so fucking good to him. Beth stroked him up and down slowly, but noticed something was off, and brought her hand away, looking to him for instructions.

He knew she might find it cringe-worthy but he brought her hand to his mouth and licked her palm so that the saliva would act as a lubrication. It seemed to click for her because Beth also did the same and then slipped her hand back underneath the sleeping bag. And then Daryl almost hissed out loud upon the new slickness it offered, Beth's hand slowly pumping him again, watching his reactions to her hand placements.

He didn't even try to withhold any of the facial movements either, he let her see the way his eyes closed tight as her thumb flicked over the tip of his member, and how his mouth fell open a few times before he held back a moan that was building in the back of his throat. Daryl knew it would not be long at all before it was all over, the overwhelming feeling building up inside of him, his hips pushing forward a number of times.

Daryl reached down and put his hand on top of Beth's and guided her, letting her know to go faster and tighter as he neared the end. She understood and did as he showed her, Daryl turning slightly so he buried his face into her neck and breathed in the scent of her hair, her skin, her everything. His body gave a short tremble before hot liquid spilled out and partially covered the both of them on the skin of their stomachs. Beth's hand came to a halt and she moved her head on the pillow to look at Daryl, who was in a state of euphoria from the orgasm that hit.

She stared into his eyes and Daryl could not find the ability to look away from her. She was perfect in every way, despite the flaws she thought she had.

Once Daryl recovered, he took an old shirt from behind him and cleaned off the both of them before tossing it to the side, making a mental note to discard of it in the morning. Pulling his pants back up and over his hips, Daryl also buttoned up Beth's shirt. A part of him thought that maybe he should say thank you to her but that seemed to be an inappropriate response. What had happened was not a quick handjob between the two of them, not really. It was more than that. And there would be words come the morning, but right then what they both wanted to do was to fall asleep knowing that they were okay and that what was between them would not go ignored any longer.

"I missed you," Beth faintly spoke in the quietest whisper possible, placing a kiss onto his neck before resting her head back down on the pillow.

"I know," he said back. "I missed you too, Beth."

She snuggled in closer to him and Daryl threw his arm around her to keep her in her spot, right where he needed her to be—next to him, by his side. He didn't know what would happen in the morning when they were found this way, together. And for some reason, he did not mind if they were found out like this. Maybe it would just all work out like it was supposed to; it would be accepted.

Beth fell asleep in his arms that night for the first time. All Daryl knew was that he felt at _peace_, and that was good enough for him. Peaceful because Beth was there with him and that was all he could ever ask for.


End file.
